21-year-old actress from Tucson is apparent victim of homicide in her apartment

A 21-year-old aspiring actress who was found dead inside her apartment in Santa Monica Sunday, March 16th, was the apparent victim of an assault, police said.

Julie Anna Redding was found dead by Santa Monica police at about 6:10 p.m. at her apartment in the 1500 block of Centinela Avenue, near Broadway in Santa Monica, Lt. Alex Padilla said. She was found to have signs of trauma, leading police to believe that she was the victim of a homicide, Padilla said. The incident is the first homicide in the city this year, police said.

It was not known how long Redding had been dead before she was found. The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office was scheduled to perform an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

There were no obvious signs of forced entry at her apartment, Padilla said.

Redding’s mother had received calls from her daughter’s friends, who were unable to get in touch with her by phone, Padilla said. After the mother was also unable to reach Redding by phone, she called police, who went to the victim’s apartment, he said.

Redding had moved to Santa Monica from Tucson to pursue an acting career, police said. Police are asking anyone who noticed any suspicious activity to come forward.

“We’re hoping someone will remember seeing or hearing something that could shed some light on this investigation,” Padilla said.

Anyone with additional information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Santa Monica Police Department at (310) 458-8427, or detectives at (310) 458-8451. Callers who wish to remain anonymous may call the We-Tip national hotline at (800) 782-7463 (800-78-CRIME).